WARMTH – South Africa
WARMTH is a community-based nutrition project that operates in the underprivileged areas around Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. The organisation aims to relieve hunger, malnutrition and chronic diseases by providing low cost nutritious food to disadvantaged communities in the Wetsern Cape, through a network of community kitchens and healthcare workshops.
Communication Strategies
The project works in the poorest communities fighting malnutrition conditions ranging from Marasmus, to Kwashiorkor, to stunting and wasting. The project organisers hope to ensure that children in South Africa do not go to bed hungry.
The project runs workshops with groups of women, usually single, unemployed mothers with infants. In these weekly workshops, they deal with issues such as breast-feeding, the six food groups, oral rehydration therapy, HIV/Aids, Tuberculosis, worms and other primary health care issues. At these workshops, mothers receive formula milk to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV/Aids, and for whatever other reason they are unable to breastfeed.
The workshops are held in areas where the project has kitchens. "The women can purchase low cost food for themselves and their children there each day. Should the women be so desperate that they cannot afford even the 60c which is required for a plate of food, then the health workers provide them with coupons which they can exchange for food at the kitchen."
"Through these workshops which are run in five different areas, an average of 200 women per week are reached. Some of them stay in the workshops for up to a year, learning all that they can about health and nutrition. They take the information back into their communities, and in turn, their neighbourhoods are enriched by this knowledge."
The project runs workshops with groups of women, usually single, unemployed mothers with infants. In these weekly workshops, they deal with issues such as breast-feeding, the six food groups, oral rehydration therapy, HIV/Aids, Tuberculosis, worms and other primary health care issues. At these workshops, mothers receive formula milk to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV/Aids, and for whatever other reason they are unable to breastfeed.
The workshops are held in areas where the project has kitchens. "The women can purchase low cost food for themselves and their children there each day. Should the women be so desperate that they cannot afford even the 60c which is required for a plate of food, then the health workers provide them with coupons which they can exchange for food at the kitchen."
"Through these workshops which are run in five different areas, an average of 200 women per week are reached. Some of them stay in the workshops for up to a year, learning all that they can about health and nutrition. They take the information back into their communities, and in turn, their neighbourhoods are enriched by this knowledge."
Development Issues
Children, Health, Nutrition, HIV/AIDS
Key Points
WARMTH project aims to
I&J, Pick 'n Pay - KFM Flood Relief Telethon, Nestlé , L'Athénée de Luxembourg, Anglo-Chairman's Fund, Aktion Dreikönigssingen, Breadline Africa, Caritas Germany, Catholic Welfare and Development, Claude Harris Leon Foundation, Clicks Foundation, De Beers, Department of Social Services, DG Murray Trust, Durbanville and Parow Catholic Churches, First Rand Foundation, Grassroutes Tour Company, Hythe and District Rotary Club, UK, Jesuit Community in Johannesburg, Jesuit Missions, Missio Austria, National Lottery Distribution Fund, Strebel Foundation
- relieve hunger and malnutrition by providing nutritious, low cost food to all those in need.
- promote nutrition and health education.
- improve community health.
- stimulate community development.
- preserve self-respect and human dignity.
I&J, Pick 'n Pay - KFM Flood Relief Telethon, Nestlé , L'Athénée de Luxembourg, Anglo-Chairman's Fund, Aktion Dreikönigssingen, Breadline Africa, Caritas Germany, Catholic Welfare and Development, Claude Harris Leon Foundation, Clicks Foundation, De Beers, Department of Social Services, DG Murray Trust, Durbanville and Parow Catholic Churches, First Rand Foundation, Grassroutes Tour Company, Hythe and District Rotary Club, UK, Jesuit Community in Johannesburg, Jesuit Missions, Missio Austria, National Lottery Distribution Fund, Strebel Foundation
Sources
WARMTH website on August 19 2004.
- Log in to post comments